The Sale
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: The Tibble Twins are twelve and looking to unclutter their living quarters. One wants to throw everything away and start over, but the other things there is money to be made. Which one is correct? One-shot.


**The Sale**

Tommy and Timmy were trapped in a world of clutter. Over the years, their grandmother had spoiled them, and now that they were twelve years old, the piles and piles of old toys took up both their room and an old play room. They were video game enthusiasts now, spending every free moment on a hand-held device or at the living room television. They needed to do something about the problem and fast.

Tommy thought they should just take everything to the dump. They never played with them, and most of the toys were broken beyond repair. Their grandmother agreed. She didn't see the value of these toys now, just the value of the games they wanted. She doubted they could make enough money from a sale to buy one game, and then they'd still be stuck with all of that clutter.

But Timmy was persistent: He wanted to host a yard sale to make money to get more games, maybe even their own gaming tv and some beanbag chairs. He argued with Tommy and his grandmother, and though they felt it was a lost cause, Timmy persuaded them.

It was a beautiful spring day. The boys had borrowed tables from several neighbors so they'd be able to keep their toys off the dew-covered lawn. With so many flowers blooming, their grandmother remained indoors fighting allergy symptoms. Her sneezes could be heard down the block as the boys began arranging their toys to be displayed. The broken parts remained in boxes priced at fifty cents each. They didn't know if they would get any money at all, but Timmy felt it was worth a shot.

Their first customer was Wanda Deegan. She looked over the toys on the table without much expression, but when she saw the first box of broken toys, her face lit up. The twins exchanged glances, wondering if this woman was in her right mind. She offered them twenty bucks for the whole box.

"Sure, here, take it," Tommy said, accepting the twenty dollar bill. Timmy watched with a raised eyebrow as she loaded the box into her back seat, which was already cluttered with many other things. Both stared at where her car was long after she left, wondering if what had happened was real or a dream.

Next to arrive was James and Ryan, two classmates they'd told about the sale a few days before. James eagerly bought one of their old board games, but Ryan was more interested in the action figures. They spent about ten dollars each before disappearing up the street.

"You know, maybe you were onto something," Tommy admitted, looking up as passersby began to take notice of their sale. As their grandmother's sneezes boomed from inside the house, the lawn filled up outside. Before the sun even told the boys it was noon, they'd made almost fifty dollars, and Tommy was definitely on his brother's side.

"I was thinking that we should go online and tell people about the sale on social media," Timmy suggested. Tommy nodded, "That's an amazing idea. I don't know if we have enough stuff here for too many customers. People are even buying the parts!" he exclaimed. Timmy looked over to the second box of broken toys. Sure enough, it was half empty.

Tommy nodded to Timmy, "Go inside and see what else we have. I'll use my phone to tell people about this online."

The plan was made, and a few minutes later, Timmy returned from inside with more toys from the attic. Their grandmother was still looking herself, her sneezes now blasting from the home's attic instead of her favorite sitting room. Tommy's part of the plan was working as well: His comment had received a lot of attention from classmates, and within ten minutes, a hoard of customers showed up.

It was a busy afternoon. Their grandmother brought out several more boxes, including some of her own things she'd wanted to get rid of. Before they could even organize the items and discuss a price, customers were offering their own prices, snatching up the goods and disappearing before the boys could register what was happening. David Read and Laverne Frensky got into a haggling war over an old stand mixer—the boys just stood back and watched as the price rose higher and higher and higher.

Soon, all that remained were a few doll heads at the bottom of a very dusty box. They returned the tables to their neighbors while their grandmother counted their money between sneezes.

As evening fell, the final count was determined. The boys made over two hundred dollars, enough for a small television and a few games too. They were proud of what they did, and a few friends even asked if they would consider hosting a garage sale for them too. The twins, eager to make any money they could, gave their friends a fee. The classmate accepted, and the twins had started their first business.

Their grandmother, despite red, itchy eyes and sneezes enough to start avalanches, was very proud of her boys, and her cleaner house.

~End

Theme 21: Spring, Theme 24: Allergies, Theme 51: Old Toys

Themes from my Infinite Arthur Theme List Challenge. PM me for more info.

Also, I have a poll question up about how you guys feel about users mass posting in the Arthur fandom. Please answer because I'm really backed up with pieces and would love to just post them all and be done, but if it would offend you, I don't mind spacing it out. See my profile, the Arthur Projects thread of my "Sophomore Sorrows and More" forum, or contact me directly with your feedback. Thanks in advance.


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